The Care Quality Commission has published the first 12 reports from an inspection programme which examines whether elderly people receive essential standards of care in 100 NHS hospitals throughout England. The programme focuses on whether people are treated with dignity and respect, and whether they get food and drink that meets their needs. A national report into the findings of the programme will be published in September. These first 12 inspection reports identify three hospitals as failing to meet the essential standards required by law. Less serious concerns were identified in a further three hospitals, with the remaining six found to be meeting essential standards.

Lancashire Care staff can click on the title above to access copies of the reports

School of Health & Social Care, Faculty of Health & Life Sciences, University of the West of England, Glenside Campus, Blackberry Hill, Bristol BS16 1DD, UK

Abstract:

Background: Specialist CAMHS-based services for pre-school age children are being introduced in the UK using different models of care. The clinical value of these new services requires assessment.

Method: Over 20 months a Primary Mental Health Specialist (Under 5s) service operating in South West UK was evaluated on a variety of themes including effectiveness. Recruited clients completed questionnaires on their own well-being (on two occasions) and their child’s behaviour (on three occasions) over the intervention period.

Results: Of the 67 carers assessed at or shortly after recruitment using the General Health Questionnaire, 55.2% were at high risk of having a clinically significant affective mental condition. Despite a trend towards improvement, neither the GHQ-12 total score nor the proportion meeting the clinical criterion was statistically significantly reduced. The main index of child behaviour and emotional state demonstrated a statistically significant reduction in the number of disturbance-indicating behaviours over the service intervention period. The largest changes occurred between recruitment and the 4th visit. Selection bias cannot be excluded.

Conclusions: Significant changes determined over a relatively short period of intervention is consistent with an effect of service, but direct attribution demands care as no control groups were included.

The role played by diet in mental health is of increasing interest to patients, parents, health professionals and public policy makers. This review examines the literature assessing the role of diet in childhood cognitive development, school performance and behaviour. The effects of inadequate dietary intake and of nutrient supplements are considered. Studies of diet and specific psychiatric diagnoses such as depression and psychosis are discussed, with a focus on the evidence for the child and adolescent population.

Do we truly appreciate how difficult it is for patients with schizophrenia to adapt a healthy lifestyle? Acta Psychiatrica Scandinavica, 2011, 123 (6) pp. 409–410

Abstract:

Vancampfort et al. (1) compared 60 Belgian patients with schizophrenia and 40 healthy volunteers according to the distance they walked in 6 min and explored the relationship between their performance on this task with their routine participation in physical activities and their physical self-perception. Selection dictated that patients were more likely to be obese and have preexisting painful musculoskeletal conditions. They were also more likely to smoke. As expected, patients with schizophrenia walked significantly shorter distances than controls and became short of breath easily. Their performance improved with decreasing adiposity but even normal weight patients walked about 95 fewer meters in 6 min than the controls. Patients participated less in leisure or sport-related physical activities (and likely had fewer resources and opportunities to do so) than the controls. Regarding self-perception, patients were significantly more likely than controls to rank themselves poorly on sports competence, physical self-worth, and body attractiveness. A healthier body mass index (BMI) projected into a more favorable self-perception.

New online tool provides quick and easy access, topic by topic, to the range of guidance from NICE, including quality standards, technology appraisals, clinical and public health guidance and NICE implementation tools. Simple to navigate, NICE Pathways allows you to explore in increasing detail NICE recommendations and advice, giving you confidence that you are up to date with everything we have recommended.

This clinical guideline offers evidence-based advice on the care and treatment of adults who have common mental health disorders, with a particular focus on primary care. It brings together advice from existing guidelines and combines it with new recommendations on access to care, assessment and developing local care pathways for common mental health disorders. Common mental health disorders include depression, generalised anxiety disorder, panic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, post‑traumatic stress disorder and social anxiety disorder.